Trump asks if Venezuela could join U.S. as its 51st state: ‘Statehood…anyone?’

17 Mar 2026, 10:24 AM IST
Trump had earlier called on Canada to join the US as its 51st state, and had pushed for the annexation of Greenland, but his latest post was the first time the US President used the word 'statehood' in relation to Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump on Monday wondered out loud whether Venezuela could become the 51st state of the United States, days after the Washington and Caracas decided to restore diplomatic and consular ties that had been severed in 2019.
"Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal. They are looking really great. Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! (sic)," Trump said, prefacing his pitch for statehood. Venezuela on Monday defeated Italy to set up a final against the USA in the World Baseball Classic.
“I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE? (sic),” Trump asked on his Truth Social platform.
Trump had earlier called on Canada to join the US as its 51st state, and had pushed for the annexation of Greenland, but his latest post was the first time the US President used the word 'statehood' in relation to Venezuela.
Trump's remark comes just two months after the US launched Operation Absolute Resolve on 3 January. During the overnight raid in Caracas, US Special Operations forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, flying them to New York to face federal narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges.
US-Venezuela ties since Maduro's ouster
Following the dramatic regime change, Trump declared that the US would "run" Venezuela until a secure transition of power could be achieved. Since then, the Trump administration has also taken over the country's oil sales and has exercised authority over how the proceeds are spent.
Trump was also remarkably candid about his motives: “We’re gonna take back the oil,” the US President said in his press conference following Maduro's capture. “Very large United States oil companies” will “go in” and “spend billions of dollars,” he further promised, adding, “We’re gonna be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.”
Regardless, the White House, up until now, had justified US actions in Venezuela — which has the largest oil reserves in the world — on the grounds of law and order, and Trump's comment about a possible annexation is a marked change in rhetoric.
Yet, ties between the US and Venezuela appear to be improving under acting president Delcy Rodriguez, with the two countries restoring diplomatic and consular ties and Washington reopening its embassy in Caracas for the first time in seven years.
While Rodriguez had initially denounced US actions and had declared Maduro's capture as a “kidnapping”, she has largely acceded to Washington's demands, albeit amid threats by Trump that an uncooperative Venezuelan president would face a fate “worse than Maduro's”.
Since taking power, Rodriguez has signed a deal to supply 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude to the US, passed a law allowing private oil companies access to its vast oil reserves, estimated to be 303–304 billion barrels, accounting for 18% of the global total. Since Maduro's ouster, Venezuela has also released hundreds of political prisoners.
Last week, the US government also formally recognized Rodriguez as the legitimate head of the Venezuelan state before a federal court in New York — while the reach of the recognition was primarily legal and not a political endorsement, it still underscored an apparent change in Washington's attitude towards Venezuela.